Chicago girl considering a VFR800

Hi!

I'm a Chicago native who's considering a VFR800 (newer model with ABS only) as a replacement for my BMW F800GT. As much as I love the utility of that bike, I tire of the buzziness of the twin engine and the uninspiring note of the engine, as well as it's lack of power. I am researching the VFR800 as a replacement as I need a bike I can commute and tour on that's sportier and more entertaining than my current ride. I also ride an S1000RR but that is rapidly being relegated to the track as it's way too much power for the street and difficult to luggage.

I guess I have questions about the power delivery of the VFR800 because while the reviews love the handling of the VFR they usually complain of its smaller cases as well as the lack of power in comparison to the Ninja 1000.

Any advice?

Thanks!

 

The VFR800 and Ninja 1000 are two diffrent animal
If you want a bike that sporty and comfy then you come to the right place.
And Honda reliability :thumbsup:
:welcome: to the madness :wave:

 

With regards to your concerns:

Buzziness: The VFR engine is smooth.

Sound: There are only a handful of bikes that sound like heaven and the VFR800 is one of them.

Power: This is such a subjective thing. For example, between the S1000RR and VFR800 the 0-60 times are 2.7 secs and 3.4 secs respectively. At some point the discussion of power in motorcycles becomes unhelpful, and really the experience says more. Because of this, if you get the chance to test ride one, you definitely should. I suspect from your clear love of bikes, that like us you could easily fall in love with the massive character these bikes exude.

The Ninja has more power and is lighter, and thus it is faster. It is also made of cheaper materials and little things are going to break. The build quality of the Honda is par excellence. How much does that matter to you?

Brand new the VFR may not be a great value over a Ninja, but purchasing one with a couple of years of depreciation, that may even it out a bit for you. (?)

Consider a 2010 VFR1200. That bike can race a Hayabusa. You may find it a little bulky for your commute, or you may not. These were not popular, making them a spectacular value on the used market. The VFR1200 can be had in the $6,000 to $7500 range. This for a premium, five year old 1200cc V4.

 

Thank you! Actually I'm not comparing the VFR800 to my S1000RR but against my F800GT, my usual touring/commuter bike. The S1000RR is an unadulterated sport bike that I absolutely love and don't plan on trading in anytime soon. So the FGT v. VFR is more like 0-60 4.0 v. 3.4 seconds but that's not such a concern as to where the power comes on in a curve and how long it carries into the rev range. The S1000RR just builds and builds to the redline I found out from both riding it as well as on my friend's dyno.

Thank you for the breakdown though and I'd prefer not to consider a Ninja or the insurance rates that go along with that model. When I initially started riding I looked at BMW's and Honda's because they both had good solid reputation for building reliable bikes but ended up with the F800GT because I found a low mileage used one for very little money that was still under warranty (it still is).

Actually when speaking of sportier bikes I was thinking of something easy to toss into a corner, well sprung with good grip, and is quick out of the corners and on the straights. Ultimately My F800GT is just a bit too much tour and not quite enough sport. I was looking at the VFR as a realistic alternative to trying to equip a sport bike for touring.

 

The vfr800 is the best bike ever made period !

 

From your post, "lack of power in comparison to the Ninja 1000", I thought you were comparing these two, but instead you may just have been quoting an article. That's why I wrote part of that the way I did.

 

I had a BMW F800ST, new in 2013, it's a dinosaur compared to the VFR800 I replaced it with, the VFR is slightly heavier however it's a lot easier to handle, has more steering lock and is narrower than the ST

I was never happy with fuelling on the ST, the VFR is faultless by comparison, as for fuel consumption there's surprisingly little difference, I was getting 65mpg out of the BMW, the VFR is using 58 (that's imperial gallons)

As far as handling goes, the BMW shows it's age compared to the VFR

I've had the VFR since the end of July and put 3,800 miles on it, I was away in California for 2 weeks in September riding an F800GS, which reminded me of the clunky gearbox and 'extra' neutrals in it

I lost about £2,000 in extras (like complete Ohlins suspension, full fairing, etc) that I bought for the ST, but I'm glad I did it

If you ride an S1000RR as well you'll love the VFR

 

Thank you Thumbs as well for that excellent comparison with my current regular ride. The F800GT isn't much changed from the F800ST other than a more relaxed riding position, slightly better fuel management, and better weather protection. Yes I'm finding those false neutrals between 4-5, and 5-6 as well and they are seriously bothersome, especially in the suburban riding I usually do. Also, I tire of the numb hands I get after riding for several hours at time on the F800GT. I've only installed a V-Stream windshield on my F800GT to improve the wind protection but even that was only a marginal improvement. At least I can go earplug free below 70mph so I can use my Sena bluetooth headset!

I'm not sure what other options I have out there for a reasonable ST style bike although there are rumors of more ST's in the works from other manufacturers.

 

Welcome To The World Rebs! I use my 6 Gen (2009) VFR800 for commuting and touring and every now and then for some sport riding. I fell so much in love with its all around capability that I decided to by another VFR just for "playing around", for that chore I grabbed a 5 Gen (2001).

I setup my 6 Gen for long distance comfort and hauling my work gear around and it does a marvelous job, especially after I revamped the suspension, nothing fancy, just new internal bits and springs (front and rear). I haven't taken any interstate trips with it yet but have done some pretty good rides here in California and have even did a Moto camping trip last year. With my GIVI top case and some soft saddle bag luggage and I was on the road ready to travel. From lane splitting the LA and OC freeways to back roads and twisty canyons, every time I speed off the bike I am so glad I chose it.

In my youth I always wanted a VFR and now rounding 50 years old, I have two and not one regret!

Cheers!

 

Oh man as much as I love he vfr, it's short comings are in the nimble dept.. it ain't, it's no 600rr by a long ways. but??? That said, depending on what you're really after. The VFR is a great bike, don't misunderstand. I own one, I've owned 4, and still keep coming back to em. why? they're the best. I know how to get around it's short comings and it is worth it to me. The motor is flawless, the torque curve is wonderful. It does a great job of being the best all around-er, yet in some cases it's missing a beat or two here and there, so depending on how fussy you are can or won't be a bother. The vfr being plug and play though ?????? Now if we are talking The new vfr, yea that one is very slick. I'd say go try one out. also couple used ones, especially a 5th gen, it's the new vfrs biggest competition, then from that you'll know what's what. An s1000? nice, that's like the cream right there Only other bike I can think of that really gets me as a replacement is the Aprilia Tuono RSV4 So??? pick your poison.

 

I've had my VFR for about years now, can't say enough good things about it. I use it for long distance touring -been to 8 states- and for commuting in our lovely gridlock traffic in southern California.
Small cases? Depends what you would compare its cases to. I can fit two helmets in the trunk, and one on each one of the side bags using the OEM pieces.
I can fit all I can possibly need for two weeks of travel, and have -not much though- room to spare.

 

Thank you everybody for your awesome insights into the VFR800! I'll definitely have to schedule a test ride! Some of the dealers have 2014 VFR800 Deluxes on their lots so they're asking anything form $9.5k to $11.5k. One of them as a Ninja 1000 as well to compare to the VFR800 as well! I want to make sure I get the bags as well, at least the saddlebags.

I did think about trying to tourerize (is that a word?) an Aprilia Tuono. However, after speaking to a former owner, I ruled it out because farings are hard to find, and it's hard to baggage. So...perhaps a VFR800 with a Power Commander adjustment would be more realistic. Not that anybody really needs more than 100hp on the road anyway, even with traction control and ABS.

 

The VFR was spot on for me. The closest thing I had to it was a YZF 600r Yamaha. The VFR is a great all arounder with one of the sweetest sounds with an after market pipe. i'm a track rider too, CBR 1000rr so i understand your having the BMW. I just did a few days in the eastern mountains with my girlfriend on the VFR and had a blast. I commute with it to work often and usually is my go to bike. But I am having a lot of fun with my DR 650 dual sport.

 

:welcome: to the world!! I didn't see where anyone answered your power delivery question. These engines don't like to lug, but once up to about 3800 rpm they pull smooth all the way to the redline. At 5000 rpm and above they really come to life and a twist of the throttle moves you on out in a hurry. Real world riding, the VFR will happily do anything you ask of it!! I typically see 180-190 miles commuting and 200-220 highway before the low fuel light comes on which comes.

 

The new VFR's are much better below 3500 rpm and you can enjoy the smoothness without investing in a Power Commander. I had a PCIII on my 2003 and it was a necessity, fixed roughness under 3500. A better investment is the optional QuickShifter for the Deluxe, really makes shifting a breeze and quick. More of an overall performance enhancement than the PC would be on the 2014.

 

Thank you. My current tourer doesn't like it below 3k rpm either. Odd for a sport tour isn't it? The problem is that the F800GT doesn't have a great top end either. It's ok just not terribly exciting.

 

As you live in Chicago presumably you'll want to be able to run heated clothing, the VFR was the only sporty bike I could find with enough spare power to run a 90 watt heated jacket, with no power drain needed to run anything more than the traction control there's plenty more for clothing

The heated grips have 5 heat settings and it's a breeze to change the setting as you ride, the setting #2 is about equal to the BMW medium setting and 4 about equals the BMW grips on high, setting #5 is hot, great for de-icing frozen hands but too hot to leave on IMHO

I had a topbox on the BMW because at that time my grandson was riding with me a lot, we took it over to the IOM for the Classic TT and ManxGP in 2014, he's since discovered girls:biggrin-new:

I couldn't bring myself to ruin the lines of the VFR by putting a topbox on that, as it's only me now I've been using Kriega US10 & 20 tail packs that puts the weight were it should be, between the wheels

I used them both whilst riding the 800GS, carefully packed clothes meant I had enough spare room for 2 stainless steel water bottles plus a pair of shoes to give my feet a rest from the motorcycle boots I'd been wearing all day (although I do have to say that after 14 days of wearing the Alpinestars SMX-6 boots they were still really comfortable) The 2 packs combined fit really well particularly as the new VFR has 4 webbing loops tucked under the pillion seat, exactly spaced for the Kriega straps

I'm trying to post a pic of it with a pack on but photo bucket keeps crashing my iPad

 

Kriega US10 .... open

 

I actually have never run heated clothing as I usually stop around mid November and my regular gear can hold me. I've thought about it though. I'm wondering if the rear seat bag from my S1000RR would fit on the Honda as it does cinch down using adjustable straps. That would be better extra luggage than a top box, although I have a lovely 52L Givi topbox I'm using on the F800GT right now.

 

I'll say this, a seat bag is great for small and easily inexspensive/replaceable items but a top case is the ticket for large and expensive/irreplaceable items! My GIVI E55 can hold 2 full face helmets and a few "flexible" items, gloves, shirts, light jackets, etc.